The front grille on the Solstice and the Solstice GXP are the same except for the color. The NA cars have silver grilles while the GXP has black Grilles. The grilles are held in place with plastic tabs but two of the tabs on each grille have a metal clip that locks it in place.

This article contains instructions on how to remove the front grille without removing the bumper. At the end of this article are samples of various different aftermarket products and painted/chromed treatments.

The following instructions for removing the grille were originally posted on the Solstice forum by Karr1008. .

http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f62/how-remove-front-grilles-12928/index5.html

My Comments are in blue text while the original post are in black ___________________________________________________________________________________

This is what it looks from the inside, I inserted a small cam to check for the metallic clips...oh there they are.

The non-removable plastic tabs.

This is what the sucker pin looks like attached to the grille.
You can either remove them from the outside or from the underneath air
intake if you have enough room to reach them. I tried both and seems like the front is the way to go.

Next, the suckers are out. The first one took me a while to figure out but then afte that it was easy. Just used a paint can opener to pry them out.
You need to do a twist maneuver and push at the same time to free them from the plastic tab.

What can I say, I took my first grille. I took the right one first.

Then I took advantage of the opening to remove the left grille clips.

Next I washed and sandblasted the grilles and applied one coat of plastic primer, then sanded with 150 grit and 10 minutes later applied 1 fine coat of the rust-- leum "midnight black metallic" paint and after 15 minutes I applied a heavier coat and let it dry for 30 minutes. Then I used 2 coats of automotive finish clear coat that gave it a glossy look but it will protect it from bugs and tar.
You can see some metallic flakes from the finish...trust me, the photo doesn't make justice, it looks way better in person and it matches the Sly metallic paint.

The finish look after I put them back the next day.

The brake duct grille around the fog lights is very easy to remove. Just hold it firmly and pull straight off.

Here are pictures of other grille treatments from other members:

Chrome Mesh Grille on Black07Solstice

These are available from Grille4U. They look Great but they only carry the main grille. They do not have the break duct grilles for the GXP.

CarID has a few different options. Again, they do not have the brake duct grilles for any of these options.

Vertical Billet Grille on AZDarkSol's car:

Race Mesh Grille

Lund Makes a horizontal framed perimeter grille available from Automotive concepts.

Aftershock makes a 2 part recessed grille. The frame and the grille can be painted two different colors. Installation of the aftershock grille requires trimming of foam bumper piece. The aftershock web site seems to be down as of the time of Feb 2010 but perhaps they will bring it back after the spring. If you are interested in their products you can contact Rudy directly on his email rudesvx@sbcglobal.net.

Picture of I1ULuz Aftershock grill on a Solstice GXP Coupe.

One other option is to paint the grille Chrome. Although a bit expensive for paint, KillerChrome allows you to recreate a real Chrome look on plastic without using a spray gun. As of 2010, their kit sold for $115. My only concern would be how well it would hold up.

If you like this look and have the money, you can have the plastic "chromed" by this. The cost for this process varies from $300-800 plus shipping. You need to supply the grilles. From what I've heard, it can take up to 3 weeks if not longer to get them back.

Companies that provide plastic Chrome coating include:

· Specialty chromed Plastics

· Custom Coatings

· Paul's Chrome

Again, the same question applies as to how well this plating process would hold up and whether it would chip as a result of road debris.